"Now, I can't describe to you the fury that is within me that I have to now go spend money on opening a centre that I didn't need to open a week ago," he told reporters in Somerset, Tasmania on Saturday.

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Advice released by the government said the cost of re-opening Christmas Island would be more than $1 billion over several years.

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Mr Morrison made reference to reports by Fairfax about people smugglers sending a surge of boats to test Labor's resolve.

He said the people smugglers "are preparing to do that as we speak".

"That's not me saying it. That's them saying it. That's people smugglers going back up the chain to Pakistan. We have other people who are ready to put boats again out of Indonesia talking openly about it".